Campaign of boot lickers?

Tuesday

Aug 28, 2007 at 2:00 AM

They’re everywhere. Like a mosquito buzzing around your head before landing and draining the blood from your body. Don’t get me wrong. It is not only a boon to our economy but also a tremendous honor for New Hampshire to be first in the nation when it comes to the process of electing a president.

Ron Dupuis

They’re everywhere. Like a mosquito buzzing around your head before landing and draining the blood from your body. Don’t get me wrong. It is not only a boon to our economy but also a tremendous honor for New Hampshire to be first in the nation when it comes to the process of electing a president.

Most of our million or so residents take it very seriously. It’s just that there comes a time when men and women with inflated egos from all over America come here, in the beginning, merely to introduce themselves and ask us what we are looking for in a candidate. They then suddenly morph into a pushy, pandering politician, willing to say and do anything to get your vote. That point is quickly approaching. Let me give you the IMHO opinion on some of the boot licking glad-handers who may be the next president.

This week, the Democrats.

Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut, who not only received a grade of “F” from the National Taxpayers association but delights in being considered one of the most liberal voters in the Senate. His hometown newspaper even questioned why he’s running. His buddy-buddy relationship with Sen. Ted (make mine Chivas) Kennedy will finish him not only in New Hampshire but the rest of the country. Dodd has less than an ice cream’s chance in Hades of becoming president.

Sen. Joe Biden of Maryland also receives low grades from taxpayer groups. He also voted to deny employees the right to a secret ballot thereby allowing labor unions to organize without a vote. The plagiarism scandal of several years ago has never left him and a lot of voters feel rather than attending any of Biden’s speeches, all they have to do is read the works of Winston Churchill. Less ice cream, but same chance. None!

Former senator and former vice president candidate John Edwards: A personal injury lawyer whose current holdings include a company making millions by evicting Hurricane Katrina victims. His belief that there is no global “war on terror” and that the phrase is just a bumper sticker slogan has everyone I speak with feeling somewhat uneasy. Despite his nice hair, his chances: None, with a capital N.Bill Richardson: As a former governor, and former ambassador, and with many other high government posts under his belt, he is felt by many to be the most qualified Democrat. But if you look closely, he is on the wrong side of many issues such as immigration. He wants a path to citizenship for the 12-plus million illegals already in this country. Chances? Fair.

Sen. Barack Obama: Bright, handsome, and I’m not afraid to say it, articulate. He is a Harvard Law School graduate and was president of the Law Review. These are all attributes you like to see in a candidate. That’s where it ends. He has minimal experience in the federal sector of government. In his brief Senate career he has been the primary sponsor of 97 pieces of legislation, of which only one has passed. His platform seems to consist of promising to help those of us who feel we area denied equal opportunity to achieve and bombing Afghanistan. Or was it Pakistan? Voters I’ve spoken with are afraid of his inexperience and feel he would be better off remaining in the Senate to get a little more seasoned. His chances of becoming president, unfortunately, fair to good.

Sen. Hillary Clinton: A force to be reckoned with, for sure. However, she is the most prolific panderer of all. She will say and do anything to occupy the White House again. After voting for the war in Iraq, she voted against funding it. In February she voted to cap troop levels and begin withdrawal within 90 days. Now she is saying definite dates for withdrawal are wrong “because of the dangers we face in country.”She voted for the largest tax increase in U.S. history and had more earmarks in the Defense Authorization Bill than any other candidate. She feels businesses that make too much money should be penalized and called higher taxes “patriotic.” She is awash in pandering contradictions. I’m wondering, since Hillary and Bill have both used the phrase “If you vote for me, you get two for one,” wouldn’t her first eight years in the White House disqualify her from serving again? Unfortunately, the Clintons’ chances of being co-presidents again are good to excellent.

Next column: The Republicans, good men, one and all.

Ron Dupuis is a longtime New Hampshire resident, former state representative and freelance writer. E-mail him at drcdupuis@comcast.net. Visit his blog at www.imho-nh.blogspot.com.

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